Cendyn: Las Vegas continues surge in meetings & events volume

Las Vegas topped the top 25 markets in meetings and events growth for September with a 34.2% year-over-year (YOY) increase, according to data from Cendyn‘s Sales Intelligence platform, previously known as Knowland. This positioned Sin City in the top five markets for eight consecutive months.

Chattanooga, TN. ranked in the top five secondary markets for the first time, coming in second with 62.7% meeting volume growth. Louisville headed up the secondary markets with 80.4% YOY growth.

Chattanooga experienced the increase due to hosting medium-sized government events (including Tennessee Valley Authority and Southern States Energy), bringing it into the top five secondary markets for the first time this year behind Louisville.

Las Vegas’ meetings and events averaged 5,596 sq. ft. and 209 attendees, driven by weddings (10% of event volume) and technology events such as Oracle SuiteWorld. Anaheim came in second, hosting education, national associations and weddings. For the top 25 markets, the average space used increased to 3,856, with an average attendee count of 130.

The top five among top 25 markets and their leading industry drivers were:

  • Las Vegas (+34.2%): Wedding, Technology, training/education, national association, manufacturing
  • Anaheim-Santa Ana (+23.2%): Education, national association, wedding, healthcare, consulting
  • Orlando (+22.9%): National association, technology, healthcare, training/education, charity/non-profit/social services
  • New York (+21%): International government, financial/banking, charity/non-profit/social services, national association, travel
  • Dallas (+18.6%): Healthcare, technology, consulting, financial/banking, education

Louisville hosted events such as the Danny Wimmer Presents music festival “Ultimate Fan” promotion and the University of Louisville’s volleyball and football teams. Healthcare was the leading industry driver for secondary markets overall. Average space used was 3,850 sq. ft., and the average attendee count was 127. The five high-growth secondary markets and top industries were:

  • Louisville (80.4%): National association
  • Chattanooga (62.7%): State government
  • Florida Panhandle (57.1%) : Charity/non-profit/social services
  • Norfolk-Virginia Beach (55.2%): Wedding
  • Colorado Springs (51.5%): National association